These are the rants and raves of a stubborn-headed, midwestern, baby boomer, liberal, wife, mother, and grandmother. My goals are to speak my mind and educate others about some of the events in our world.

Sunday, September 30, 2012

> A new poll released today by the conservative Columbus Dispatch has President Obama with a 9 point lead over Romney in Ohio.

*The YWCA Poll shows President Obama with strong support from women.National Journal:

Another four years of President Obama, according to a new YWCA-sponsored poll
that found him leading Republican Mitt Romney by 49 percent to 31
percent. The yawning gender gap mirrors other surveys nationwide and
here in Ohio, a hotly contested swing state, and it represents one of
Romney’s most pressing challenges in the home stretch before the Nov. 6
election.

Women typically favor the Democratic nominee, but the gender gap popping up in recent polls is larger than expected....

Friday, September 28, 2012

* I don't know if the Romney campaign has money to waste, but they sent several pieces of their campaign materials addressed to me. Needless to say, the mail from Romney and Kasich's pal, Mike Duffey (21st District Ohio House of Representatives), went right into the shredder. Yuck!

....Rep. Mike Duffey,
R-Worthington, and Rep. Anne Gonzales, R-Westerville voted for the bill.Senate Bill 5 would weaken
collective bargaining power for about 360,000 public workers, including safety forces, teachers,
school cooks, and corrections officers....Trust me. People in Ohio that are teachers, police officers, fire fighters, nurses, and state employees remember. Just in case you've forgotten, here is a list of elected officials that voted for SB 5-----

Support Donna O'Connor, the Democrat, for Ohio's 21st District of the Ohio House.

**** Ohio voters: support the re-election of Supreme Court Justice Yvette McGee Brown, the only Democrat on the Ohio Supreme Court.

>>> The audio from the interview by the Cleveland Plain Dealer of Sen. Sherrod Brown, and Tea Party Republican challenger, Josh Mandel, is now available online at the PlainDealer.

I listened to all of the 69 minutes of the interviews. Sen. Sherrod Brown came across as knowledgeable about the issues, and the concerns of all the people in Ohio--- the farmers, auto workers, steel workers, teachers, fire fighters, police officers, college students, those in the medical field, office workers, retired men and women, the poor, working families, EVERYONE in Ohio.

As Sen. Sherrod Brown explains, the Recovery Act helped bring the steel mill back to the Youngstown area as well as the jobs that have come with it. Sen. Sherrod Brown also points out that Mandel doesn't understand how insurance work.

Josh Mandel, Ohio's absent Treasurer, just repeated the same speech he gives at every rally and fundraising reception. Mandel sounded robotic, as though he memorized all the talking points that Karl Rove and Jim DeMint gave to him.

The case against Josh Mandel:

1.) Josh Mandel has lied about his whereabouts, has attended only 6 out of 20 Board of Deposit meetings, continues to be absent from his job as Ohio Treasurer, hired unqualified frat friends and buddies, and is unwilling to respond to the media, and.

2.) Mandel says he won't give his views until he is elected.

3.) Josh Mandel is completely clueless about the issues that matter to Ohioans.

4.) Josh Mandel's arrogance, lack of knowledge, and lack of interest in what matters most to the men, women, and children of Ohio is appalling. His language, vocabulary, and superficial responses show his immaturity, and lack of empathy for the real people of Ohio.

Finally, Sen. Sherrod Brown and his campaign did not attack Mandel's military service.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

* Right wing reporters and websites are making a fuss about school children not eating the healthier food being presented in school cafeterias. Let me give these people a clue---kids have always hated school food. They are just whining louder. Give them time, and they will learn to eat the food that is presented to them. Parents, teachers, and administrators need to work together to encourage students to eat healthy so that they can been attentive in class and live healthier lives.

After lunch, students who've eaten a balance meal are awake in class. In the past, students were allowed to buy candy, and snack foods. I've seen the results of students who were eating 5-6 candy bars for lunch. That is not healthy and it makes students hyperactive, talkative, and unable to focus.

This is really a non-issue that right winger news people have brought to the public's attention. It might be better for all of us if these "news" reporters would actually report on news. These "news" people should stop attacking Mrs. Obama and the child obesity specialists that are for better, healthier diets for all Americans.

* Another bizarre statement from Republican Rep. Todd Akin of Missouri has women across the country wondering why the Republican candidate continues to insult women. Republican Todd Akin was the candidate that had a stupid statement about rape.Politico:

....Speaking to Charles Jaco on the Jaco Report
on St. Louis’s Fox station, Akin was answering a question about
allowing abortions in the case of rape. He said, “If it’s a legitimate
rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.”

More than a month after his comments about “legitimate rape” nearly derailed his campaign for U.S. Senate, Republican Todd Akin said Thursday that it has become clear to him that he will triumph over Democratic incumbent Sen. Claire McCaskill this fall.

Part of his confidence, he said, comes from McCaskill's demeanor
during their debate last week, which he said was not as "ladylike" as it
was when she faced off with Republican Jim Talent in 2006.

“I think we have a very clear path to victory, and apparently Claire McCaskill thinks we do, too, because she was very aggressive at the debate,
which was quite different than it was when she ran against Jim Talent,”
Akin said. “She had a confidence and was much more ladylike (in 2006),
but in the debate on Friday she came out swinging, and I think that’s
because she feels threatened.”

I don't know about you, but a person like Todd Akin is a Neanderthal. Todd Akin's idea of a woman acting 'ladylike' would be a woman who sits quietly in the corner, says nothing, and allows the men to make decisions for her. I have some news for Todd Akin----

Wake up, Mr. Akin. It is 2012 and this isn't the 1950's!

I'm pulling for Claire McCaskill and I hope that the people in Missouri decide to move forward with her, instead of back to the dark ages with Todd Akin.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

>>> The Ohio State Lantern has an article about the work done by Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown in Ohio which includes this--- "...Brown is also working to protect access to the ballot box, particularly
for students and minorities, as well as women’s rights for health care
decisions and earning equal pay for equal work....."

Sherrod Brown's work on helping the American auto companies survive and keeping interest rates low on college loans were also mentioned in the article.

Sherrod Brown's opponent, Josh Mandel, Ohio's absent Treasurer, has voiced his opposition to all of these issues.

* Our tax dollars are going to charter schools and yet they are performing at much lower levels. Want to see how schools are performing in Ohio? The Kasich administration has dragged their feet releasing this information and yet it is only a small part of the data.

The Dispatch has the school report cards online. In examining various counties, I've found that public schools have much higher graduation rates than the corporately-owned charter schools. Here is an example:

The incident occurred this past Saturday in Boston, at a rally for
Brown featuring former Boston Mayor Ray Flynn, and at which a group of
Warren supporters also showed up with signs. The video was
posted Tuesday by the state liberal blog Blue Mass Group.

According to the local ABC affiliate in Boston,
it has been confirmed that among the participants were Brown’s deputy
Chief of Staff Greg Casey, Constituent Service Counsel Jack Richard,
plus state GOP operative Brad Garrett....

The video is posted TalkingPointsMemo:

This follows Republican Scott Brown saying that Elizabeth Warren was clearly not Native American. Scott Brown is obviously more talented than anyone knew----he can read someone's DNA from several feet away. Scott Brown's campaign and his campaign workers have revealed themselves to be racist and sexist. This might be the incident that causes Scott Brown to lose this election.

> Sen. Sherrod Brown was on the Rachel Maddow show last night. Sen. Sherrod Brown, who has made a career of working for the middle class of Ohio, discussed the fact that right wing PACs are trying to buy the U.S. Senate seat in Ohio. With over $18 million coming from the likes of Karl Rove, FreedomWorks, Americans for (their own)Prosperity, etc., Sen. Sherrod Brown is being attacked and disrespected from groups that want to put their Republican puppet, Josh Mandel, in the Senate.

> What is Republican Scott Brown's problem? Why does he continue to say disparaging things about Elizabeth Warren? An article at USA Today shows that Scott Brown has attacked Elizabeth Warren over her heritage:....The issue of Warren's heritage roiled the Massachusetts race this
summer. Warren, a Harvard law professor, said she knew her mother was
part Cherokee and part Delaware Indian. She acknowledged she let people
know about her heritage when she filled out forms for a national law
school directory, and later gave the information to her employers at the
University of Pennsylvania and Harvard.

Brown
raised the issue in their debate last week, saying Warren "checked the
box claiming she was Native American, and clearly she is not."

What make Scott Brown think that Elizabeth Warren doesn't have Native American heritage? What does he mean that "...clearly she is not..." in his remarks? Can he prove she does not? I was not aware that Scott Brown had done a DNA test on Elizabeth Warren. Is it possible that Scott Brown just doesn't like smart, powerful women?

When one first looks at Scott Brown, you don't automatically notice that he is an arrogant putz.

On “60 Minutes”
last night, Mitt Romney said it again. “I want to keep the current
progressivity in the code. There should be no tax reduction for high
income people.”

You’ve heard Romney say this — or some variant of it –dozens of times
before. What’s changed since then is that Romney has admitted that his
tax cuts, if they’re not going to add to the deficit, will have to
increase taxes on people he defines as middle income and cut them on
people he defines as high income....

Read the entire article at the Washington Post because you'll see where Romney's plans will probably cost you more taxes. Romney always looks as though he is so disgusted with those who are not rich like him. Romney regards the American middle class, the poor, our vets, our elderly, as just dumb schmucks and peasants in 'Romney World.'

Despite an onslaught of more than $18 million in outside money to
knock him from the U.S. Senate, Democrat Sherrod Brown holds a 7-point
lead over GOP state Treasurer Josh Mandel in a new Blade/Ohio Newspaper
Organization poll.

Mr. Brown’s margin of 52 percent to 45 percent among likely voters is bolstered by a 14-point advantage with women.....

Why do women support Sen. Sherrod Brown? Women support Sen. Sherrod Brown because he believes that women are capable of making their own decisions about their reproductive parts (while Josh Mandel wants to get in between women and their gynecologists!). Sen. Sherrod Brown voted for pay equity for women. Josh Mandel opposed it. Sen. Sherrod Brown worked for the farm bill. Josh Mandel hasn't noticed the farmers in Ohio, or the middle class, or our vets, or college students, the elderly, etc.

While Republicans have dismissed and disrespected women in the country, and in Ohio, President Obama, Sen. Sherrod Brown, and Democrats support, trust, and respect the talents and decisions of women. It is no wonder that Republicans just can't get those good approval numbers from women.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

*Josh Mandel, Ohio's absent Treasurer, was AWOL again. Mandel was in Washington, DC. today collecting more campaign money from 3 events. Josh Mandel was caught on video in DC as the car he was riding in came out of a parking garage.

Why did Josh Mandel hide his face? Is he embarrassed that he is away from his job again? Is he ashamed that he left the state's money in control of his unqualified frat friends back in Columbus?

* Why would the U.S. Chamber of Commerce spend $1,110,000 to boost up anti-labor Republican Josh Mandel? (FEC 9/18/12) According to the FEC, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has spent $2,014,000 "...calendar YTD per election for office sought..."

Republicans spending millions to unseat Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, during the crucial November elections in which the GOP is trying to turn Ohio back into a Red State again.

Brown told Bloomberg Businessweek that there has been more money
spent against him than any other Senate candidate in this election
cycle. More than $18 million has been pumped into the race to help
support Brown's Republican challenger Josh Mandel.

Much of the money is coming from Super PACs, which have helped pay
for nearly 40,000 ads so far in the campaign, with only a little more
than 5,600 of those being pro-Brown ads......

You have to ask yourself why the anti-worker, pro-outsourcing, anti-women, anti-minimum wage, anti-fair pay, anti-job safety, groups prefer right winger Josh Mandel to Sen. Sherrod Brown who has fought for the rights of workers?

Republican Josh Mandel, the candidate that has caused the Truth-o-Meter to explode, has continued to lie about Sen. Sherrod Brown. Josh Mandel rarely goes to work as Ohio's Treasurer. Today, Mandel will be at a fundraiser at noon in DC. The overly-ambitious, little experienced, right wing favorite is anxious to get elected to promote his ideas of reform--- anti-fair pay, anti-minimum wage, pro-privatizing of Social Security, pro-vouchers for Medicare, and lower taxes for the rich.

* Do you want to know where your Ohio Treasurer is today? Call (800) 228-1102 or (614) 466-2160 and ask, "Is Josh Mandel in his Columbus office today? Was he there yesterday?" Report your answers on Twitter or Facebook or Blogger.* John Kasich is trying to take credit for the increase in jobs in Ohio. Haaaaaaaaaa! ROFLOL.>>> Mitt Romney continues to stick his foot in his mouth every single day. Apparently, he doesn't get that whatever a President says becomes foreign policy. That is why Romney should never and can never be President. Romney doesn't seem to understand that what is said here can travel everywhere.

Monday, September 17, 2012

**** Josh Mandel has received another verdict on his truthfulness from Politifact Ohio. Politifact has declared Mandel's claim that the Sherrod Brown's campaign attacked Mandel's military service as: Mostly False.

In case you are interested, Josh Mandel now has the following Politifact findings:

* Ohio's Republicans and their deep pocketed PACs are now turning their attention to throwing registered voters off the voting rolls. First, there are lawsuits being filed by various groups (see Dispatch). Secondly, Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, is trying to purge the list of registered voters by claiming that there are too many people who are "inactive" on the rolls (see Dispatch). Don't you think it is amazing that Jon Husted and his Republican pals think that there are too many voters?

Friday, September 14, 2012

* Mitt Romney is an example of someone that doesn't know anything about public education, but that won't stop him from criticizing it. Romney and his family have all attended private schools. Romney has walked/driven by public schools and he thinks that makes him an expert on public education.

“But the role I see that ought to remain in the president’s agenda with regards to education
is to push back against the federal teachers unions,” Romney said.
“Those federal teachers unions have too much power, in some cases, they
overwhelm the states, they overwhelm the local school districts. We have
got to put the kids first and put these teachers unions behind.”

Hmmmm. This sounds similar to things said by Gov. John Kasich in his quest to deny workers' rights to public employees, including teachers, fire fighters, police officers, nurses, and state workers. Do you think they all get the same talking points?

Romney wants to let private corporations take over public schools in the form of charter schools. Allowing corporations to make money off of the education of our young people sounds absolutely disgusting. When corporations take over, scores go down, science disappears, and someone in a corporate office decides which right wing version of history should be taught.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

* While tea party Republicans support Josh Mandel, Ohio's absent Treasurer, you have to wonder if they just want a puppet instead of someone with knowledge. With his lightweight background in the Ohio General Assembly, you wonder if he knows how to write legislation, work with others, ask questions in committee meetings, etc. He has so little experience in these areas and has let others do his work.

The sad part is that Josh Mandel will say anything, even if it is a lie. He doesn't seem to care how people view his continuing lies. Does Mandel think he can do and say anything because he is getting enough money from FreedomWorks, Karl Rove, Government Integrity Fund, Conservative Senate Fund, etc.? Does he think that the lies he runs in ads will win him the Senate? Everyone I've talked to, especially women, think his campaign is terrible, and dishonest.

...now with the attacks in Libya and Egypt, and the death of an American
ambassador, rather than work toward a solution to this problem, former
Governor Romney chooses to politicize the death of an American
ambassador. Romney attacked the Obama administration's response to the
incidents in Libya and Egypt. In a statement he released at 10:24 p.m.
Tuesday night, he said, "It's disgraceful that the Obama
Administration's first response was not to condemn attacks on our
diplomatic missions, but to sympathize with those who waged the
attacks."

And that, we know, is a lie. At 10:10 p.m. the Obama administration
disavowed the statement by the U.S. embassy in Cairo. At 10:44 p.m.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton condemned the attacks on the U.S.
consulate in Benghazi. And Wednesday Obama campaign Press Secretary Ben
LaBolt responded, "We are shocked that, at a time when the United
States of America is confronting the tragic death of one of our
diplomatic officers in Libya, Governor Romney would choose to launch a
political attack."

If Mitt Romney continues to ignore discussing our military, the war
in Afghanistan, and national security issues, and attacks the current
administration, using an ambassador's death for his own political gain
and to further divide our nation, is he truly fit to be commander in
chief?....

Romney thinks that other people's sons, daughters, husbands, wives, mothers, and fathers should fight his wars. His lack of acknowledgement of our men and women in uniform is disgraceful. Of course, what do you expect from a man that wants to outsource veterans health care?

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

* Those of us that live in Ohio know that Gov. John Kasich is not known for having many women in his cabinet or in management positions. If you doubt Kasich's opinion of women, let me inform you.Raw Story:

Republican Gov. John Kasich of Ohio said Wednesday at a Romney
campaign rally that his wife was at home doing laundry while he gave
political speeches.

“You know, Jane Portman, Karen Kasich, and Janna Ryan, they operate
an awful lot of the time in the shadows,” he said in Owensville,
referring to the wife of Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, his own wife, and the
wife of Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, respectively.

“It’s not easy to be a spouse of an elected official,” Kasich
continued. “You know, they’re at home, doing the laundry and doing so
many things while we’re up here on the stage getting applause, right?
They don’t often share in it. And it is hard for the spouse to hear the
criticism and to put up with the travel schedule and to have to be at
home taking care of the kids. And where is the politician? Out on the
road.”

Right. Kasich believes that women should be home, doing the laundry, scrubbing the floors, etc., while men rule over them. Kasich proves once again that his conservative views are prehistoric.

I strongly condemn the
outrageous attack on our diplomatic facility in Benghazi, which took the
lives of four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens. Right now,
the American people have the families of those we lost in our thoughts
and prayers. They exemplified America's commitment to freedom, justice,
and partnership with nations and people around the globe, and stand in
stark contrast to those who callously took their lives. I
have directed my Administration to provide all necessary resources to
support the security of our personnel in Libya, and to increase security
at our diplomatic posts around the globe. While the United States
rejects efforts to denigrate the religious beliefs of others, we must
all unequivocally oppose the kind of senseless violence that took the
lives of these public servants.

On a personal note, Chris was
a courageous and exemplary representative of the United States.
Throughout the Libyan revolution, he selflessly served our country and
the Libyan people at our mission in Benghazi. As Ambassador in Tripoli,
he has supported Libya's transition to democracy. His legacy will endure
wherever human beings reach for liberty and justice. I am profoundly
grateful for his service to my Administration, and

deeply saddened by this loss.

The
brave Americans we lost represent the extraordinary service and
sacrifices that our civilians make every day around the globe. As we
stand united with their families, let us now redouble our own efforts to
carry their work forward.

The Republicans, Mitt Romney, Reince Priebus, and Sarah Palin, have shown their capacity to lie. The Republicans said the President apologized. Really? I think that anyone that reads to the President's statement and thinks that the President apologized in it, needs to go back to third grade and work on reading comprehension. Shame on Romney, Priebus, and Palin for using someone's death for the basis of their lies and as an attack on President Obama.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

* As Americans, we cannot forget the tragedy of September 11, 2001, and the loss of so many lives. May they rest in peace.

-------------

>> Today, as Gov. John Kasich goes around telling people that "he" brought jobs back to Ohio, we should recall that Kasich and Romney share something: They were both against the auto loan program that was created by President Barack Obama.

....Republicans hate Obama’s rescue of the
American automotive industry, but love taking credit now that it’s a
sterling success.....

....Kasich, like other Ohio
Republicans, including House Speaker John Boehner, decried Obama’s
rescue of the American automotive industry. The president said it would
work, Kasich said it would not. Obama was right; Kasich was wrong....

Monday, September 10, 2012

It is very difficult to get Republican Josh Mandel, Ohio's absent Treasurer, to answer any questions from the media and even private citizens. However, if you continue to search you might find something.Ontheissues- Josh Mandel:

The AARP has also collected some information from candidates, including this from Democrat Sherrod Brown and Republican Josh Mandel:

...How would you put Medicare on stronger financial ground and protect
today’s seniors and future retirees from the burden of rising health
costs?

Sherrod C. Brown:
Congress should stand up for Medicare and make it stronger. Cutting
costs by cutting service helps no one. Instead, we should focus on
innovative ways to reduce Medicare spending while ensuring that it can
continue to meet the needs of Ohio seniors. Right now, the Department
of Veterans Affairs can negotiate bulk discounts on prescription drugs
for veterans, but Medicare can’t do the same for seniors. By giving the
Secretary of Health and Human Services negotiating authority, we could
save millions reducing Medicare cost by an estimated $20 Billon over the
next ten years.
(Source: Sherrod Brown Senate Website; http://ow.ly/ct8BO

Josh Mandel:
Those who refuse to reform Medicare are condemning the program to the
ash heap of history. In order to save Medicare, we must change it.
Saving Medicare will be a top priority of mine, as this important
program represents a promise made by the government to the American
people. We can reform it in a way that does not impact current
recipients or those approaching Medicare-eligible age.
(Source: League of Women Voters
Questionnaire; http://ow.ly/ctaci)

So Josh Mandel wants to reform Medicare? How does that sit with you, Grandma?

Sunday, September 09, 2012

* Sen. Sherrod Brown and Republican Josh Mandel, Ohio's absent Treasurer, met at the Plain Dealer for interviews. Here is a small part of what Sen. Sherrod Brown said to Mandel- Plain Dealer:

...Brown, the Democratic incumbent from Avon, repeatedly called out his
Republican opponent for making statements that fact-checkers have found
to be false and then repeating those statements after they were exposed.

He then accused Mandel of telling even more falsehoods during their
70-minute interview and questioned whether Mandel knows when he's not
telling the truth.

"This is serious business. People don't run for the Senate and act
like you do," said Brown, 59. "These are serious issues, these aren't
political games to go from one office to another to another and reach
your ambitions, but not fight for what matters to people in this state."

The more I read about Mandel, the more I see a young person that is more concerned with himself, his ambitions, his supporters, and their issues. I am also troubled by the fact that Mandel says no one every talks to him about any other issues. It might be that he doesn't want to talk about anything but his memorized talking points. He says that he'll reveal more if elected. Now Mandel has secret plans?????

Here are some suggestions for reporters that might interview Josh Mandel in the next few weeks: Ask Mandel questions such as....

Did he think it was a good move by the federal government to remove BPA from products?

Since he is against government regulations, what regulations does he think are unfair or unjustified?

How many actual bills of yours were passed through the General Assembly and signed into law? Why did you vote against making cockfighting a felony?

Should a victim of rape or incest be allowed to have an abortion? Why or why not? Should a woman that becomes pregnant through rape or incest be forced to bring the pregnancy to term?

Should women that do the same job as a man, with the same qualifications, be given equal pay? Why are why not?

Do you think that manufacturers should be able to dump whatever chemical they wish into our waters and lands? Why should the government stay away from regulations?

Why were you against the renewal of the legislation known as the Violence Against Women Act? Are you against funding for shelters for battered women?

What is the minimum wage? Have you ever had a job in which you were paid the minimum wage? Where was it?

You were against lowering interest rates on college loans. Did you go to college on loans or grants? Why should poor, gifted students be blocked from attending college?

Does the money you've received from the corporate owners of charter schools influence your support for charter schools? Why are you against public schools? Why should failing charter schools be funded? How many public schools have you visited recently? What are some of the problems facing schools, teachers, and students today?

In your jobs plan, you did notmention anything for our veterans, or the middle class. Why did you exclude them? Does you jobs plan just refer to wealthy business owners?

Would you support fracking in your Beachwood neighborhood?

I'm sure that you can come up with far better questions than these! Contact your local TV/newspaper reporters and send them your questions for Josh Mandel. With the debates coming soon, we need to find the names of those asking the questions, and provide them with some of our suggestions.

• • • • • • •

* Mitt Romney might has promised he'd create jobs, but his method of creating jobs is to give tax cuts to the wealthy. It won't work. It has never worked, but that is his plan.

Americans may not know that as the CEO of Bain, Romney sent jobs to China.ThinkProgress:

....as the Washington Post reported, Bain Capital, the private equity firm that Romney headed, played its own part in sending jobs to low-wage countries, including China. In fact, Bain “invested in a series of firms that specialized in relocating jobs done by American workers to new facilities in low-wage countries like China and India.”

In one example, Bain was the largest shareholder in a company called Modus Media, which “specialized in helping companies outsource their manufacturing“:

Modus Media told the SEC it was performing
outsource packaging and hardware assembly for IBM, Sun Microsystems,
Hewlett-Packard Co. and Dell Computer Corp. The filing disclosed that
Modus had operations on four continents, including Asian facilities in
Singapore, Taiwan, China and South Korea, and European facilities in
Ireland and France, and a center in Australia....

Romney made money while Americans lost jobs, cities lost tax payers, and jobs were sent to other countries.

Saturday, September 08, 2012

* The smear machine over at the Josh Mandel campaign is up and running again. They've taken what was said by Joe Hallett of the Republican-loving Columbus Dispatch and turned it into something else. Here is what Joe Hallett of the Dispatch said (on 8/19/12), as he addressed Mandel:

(http://tinyurl.com/9cfp8e6) "....it is your reputation, Josh, we want to discuss. We’re worried about it, because the
campaign you’ve been running has smelled like our cigars..."

“..Still, you have
self-inflicted wounds during this campaign that are hurting your
reputation long term, win or lose. You are becoming known as the
candidate of the big lie, continually making statements and airing ads
that stretch the truth or are patently untrue. PolitiFact Ohio, The
Plain Dealer’s respected campaign truth-o-meter, has given you more
“Pants on Fire” ratings for false claims than any other candidate by
far….”

Josh Mandel has refused to stop lying about Sen. Sherrod Brown, the Affordable Care Act, taxes, his own run for the Senate, and his handpicked staff of frat boys, their relatives, and his friends. It is no surprise that the Josh Mandel smear machine that threw lies about Kevin Boyce around in 2010 would continue to lie in Mandel's next campaign.

Josh Mandel talks about integrity? Honesty? Give me a break! I think Mandel doesn't know the meanings of the words. Do you think it would help if the Mandel campaign got copies of the definitions of honesty and integrity? In case you are interested, you might want to send some email to Mandel's campaign: joshmandel@joshmandel.comtravis@joshmandel.com

You might also want to ask him why he doesn't mention "veterans" or the "middle class" in his jobs plan.

Friday, September 07, 2012

* Apparently, Democrats love to eat pizza during the Democratic convention. While many Democratic groups had convention parties, and many families stayed up late to watch Obama and Biden, pizza delivery people were very busy. One pizza delivery person said that they were so busy that it was evident that Democrats were ordering plenty of pizzas. He also said that they were not very busy at all during the GOP convention.

>>>> Sen. Sherrod Brown (OH-Democrat) is being challenged by Ohio's absent Treasurer, and permanent Republican campaigner, Josh Mandel. With most of Sherrod Brown's contributions coming from Ohio voters, Josh Mandel, has had most of his money coming from out of state, and big bucks from right wing PACs. Mandel has been repeating the same right wing talking points over and over again and is viewed as a puppet of the far right, extreme tea party Republicans.

Mandel doesn't have much experience and he is considered an empty suit. In an interview with the Dispatch, he attacked Sen. Sherrod Brown.

In response to Mandel's accusations, some retired military took on Mandel. You can see what they said here.

>>> Gallup has already tracked a convention bump for President Obama.HuffingtonPost:

...Gallup's last three nights of interviewing of adults, conducted Sept.
4 to 6, shows Obama with a 52 percent approval rating, the highest
approval percentage reported for Obama on the Gallup tracking poll since May 2011, just after the killing of Osama bin Laden.

••• There is more about some of the secret groups backing Josh Mandel. The reliably Republican Columbus Dispatch has discovered that the group, the Government Integrity Fund, has spent quite a lot of money against Sen. Sherrod Brown, while they prop up Mandel.

....previously unreported documents
filed with an Ohio television station pull back the curtain a bit: the
Government Integrity Fund is run by a state lobbyist who in turn employs
a former top Mandel staffer.

The lobbyist, Tom Norris, is listed as the Government Integrity Fund’s
chairman and treasurer. Norris owns an Ohio lobbying firm, Cap Square
Solutions, and last year hired a top Mandel aide, Joel Riter, to work at
the firm.

Riter’s role in the Government Integrity Fund, if any, is not clear. The
former Mandel aide declined to say whether he is involved with the
group that is chaired by his current boss and running ads in support of
his former boss....

Sounds creepy. Since Josh Mandel is unwilling to explain his views without repeating right wing mantra, he has had to rely on other secret groups to talk for him. It makes you wonder how many other secret groups, PACs, and people Josh Mandel owes and what he has promised them.

Republicans debuted a new ad Thursday in which a frustrated former
Obama supporter expresses her disappointment with the president. The
only problem: The woman in the video is actually an RNC staffer.

The new ad features Republican National Committee Director of
Hispanic Outreach Bettina Inclan, who in the ad purports to be an
average woman voter who supported Obama in 2008.....

Hilarious!!!!! By the way, I wonder if she is paid the same amount of salary as her male counterpart. Hmmmm.

I am not surprised. The Republicans have always tried to pull wool over the eyes of voters!
- During his 2010 campaign in Ohio, John Kasich used an actor to portray an unhappy steelworker.
- In 2010, the National Republican Senate Committee made a decision to look for "hicky" actors to oppose then candidate Barack Obama (see CBS News).
- Just a few weeks ago, mine workers in Ohio were forced by their employer to stand with Republican candidates Mitt Romney and Josh Mandel, or have the mine close.

Are Republicans trying to say that it is hard for them to find their own supporters?

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Republican Josh Mandel doesn't care if a woman has been a victim of rape or incest. He thinks he and others should make decisions for that woman. Aren't women smart enough to make their own decisions? How dare Mandel and his supporters intervene into our personal reproductive decisions!

In case you are interested-------Josh Mandel is against the legislation that provides equal pay for equal work. Why would any intelligent woman vote for this self-absorbed candidate?

Tuesday, September 04, 2012

>>>> Sen. Sherrod Brown (OH-Dem) stood with Ohio's firefighters, police officers, teachers, nurses, and state employees. Now it is our duty to support him, his campaign, and at the ballot box. Sherrod Brown cares about every hardworking Ohioan and has made it his duty to protect the lives and rights of the middle class, college students, our senior citizens, and the poor. We want to move forward with Sherrod Brown, not return to the failed pro-rich, anti-middle class policies of the Republican Party and Josh Mandel.

@nbc4i@HuffPostPol Anyone know where Josh Mandel is today? He is not in his office according to Facebook comments by his staff.The boy lost...

Josh Mandel, Ohio's absent Treasurer, has been out in the state repeating his mantra that regulations are bad, that he was against the auto bailout that saved 850,000 jobs in Ohio, tax cuts are needed for the rich, blah, blah, blah (see MiddletownJournal). Lucky for him he offers nothing new--- just the same old Republican talking points given to him by the extremists like Karl Rove, Jim DeMint, and Americans for (their own) Prosperity.

Why didn't Josh Mandel include any plans for how to get more jobs for veterans in his jobs plan? Doesn't he care? Does he only care about his wealthy contributors and lowering their tax?

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Right now, congressional candidate Tammy Duckworth is speaking at the Democratic National Convention. She is an amazing woman.

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* Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted is working hard to make it as difficult as possible for Ohioans to vote. From RawStory:

Ohio’s Secretary of State, Jon Husted, will not set new early voting
hours despite a court order, according to a memo released by his office.

“Announcing new hours before the court case reaches final resolution will only serve to confuse voters,” the memo
states. “Therefore, there is no valid reason for my office or the
county boards of elections to set hours for in-person absentee voting
the last three days before the election at this time.”

The memo prohibits county election boards from setting hours for the Friday, Saturday, Sunday, or Monday before the election....

I hope that those of us here in Ohio remember this disgusting behavior from Jon Husted. Frankly, I'm not surprised. Husted has always been an arrogant snob and this just adds to the evidence. When Husted runs for his next office (and he will), just remember how he tried to block the vote.

Monday, September 03, 2012

On Labor Day---
• American men and women have built our cars, buildings, bridges, and roads. They've taught in our schools, protected our communities, healed our sick, and worked in our stores. On Labor Day we honor the men and women who've created the infrastructure that is the foundation of what we have today. We should thank people in unions because they gave us weekends, job safety, and health care.

• On Ed Schultz tonight, Ed mentioned that the speakers at the Republican convention tried to reach out to women, but they failed. Ed said that "...not one Republican said anything about equal pay for equal work, health care, reproductive rights, or that guy from Missouri, Todd Akin...." Thank you, Ed!

• Larry Cohen of CWA said that people have coined a new word now with Romney as the GOP candidate. Workers are "bained" when they their lose jobs and see those jobs shipped overseas.

• Is Paul Ryan a serial liar? He even lied about his marathon running time! Thank goodness, Runner's World checks these things:

It turns out Paul Ryan has not run a marathon in less than three hours—or even less than four hours.

A spokesman confirmed late Friday that the Republican vice
presidential candidate has run one marathon. That was the 1990 Grandma’s
Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota, where Ryan, then 20, is listed as having
finished in 4 hours, 1 minute, and 25 seconds....

• Can you imagine what would have happened if Mitch McConnell, John Boehner, and Eric Cantor, would have supported the President's jobs bills? Millions of people would have jobs! Rather than put people to work to rebuild the economy, McConnell, Boehner, Cantor, and the rest of the Tea Party Republicans sat on their behinds and did nothing. Nothing.

Despite the uncooperative Republicans, President Obama has helped turn the country around. All you need is this chart: (BarackObama/jobs)

There is one more point, and this goes to Mitt "let Detroit go bankrupt" Romney, and Josh Mandel, Ohio's anti-middle class Republican candidate---

In an online poll the CJN asked, "If the election were held today, who would get your vote?" The choices offered were: Sherrod Brown,Josh Mandel or "I'm not voting."

At the close of the poll
Sherrod Brown was selected by 81% of respondents, Josh Mandel by 18% and
1% affirmed that they would not be voting.

It looks like those that know Josh Mandel and are familiar with his political work, his right wing views, his huge ego, and his neglect of the middle class, don't want to support him. It makes you wonder, doesn't it.

...I'm confident my experience and accomplishments in the state legislature, state
treasurer's office and Marine Corps, combined with my blue-collar roots and education from Ohio
State University, Case Western Reserve University Law School and life's school of hard knocks, have
put the tools on my belt for me to be a scrappy, hardworking and thoughtful U.S. senator on behalf
of Ohio's 11.5 million residents....

Does Josh Mandel really have "blue-collar roots"
in Beachwood, Ohio? (Depending on how far back we go into a family's
history, we all have "blue-collar roots.") Is Josh Mandel referring to
his father or grandfather? My father helped build ships. My maternal
grandfather was a bricklayer, and my fraternal grandfather was a
carpenter.

Here are some facts about Josh Mandel----

- Mandel graduated from Beachwood High School in 1996.

- Beachwood, Ohio, is and always has been an affluent suburb of
Cleveland. Beachwood is the home to Beachwood Place, a very upscale
mall. We have visited Beachwood, Ohio, many, many times and the words "blue collar roots" have never come to mind in describing the area.

- Josh Mandel's father has been a practicing attorney since the
mid-1970's. Do you know of any attorneys, past or present, that would
be classified as "blue collar" workers?

- Mandel graduated from Ohio State in 2000, and went to law school at
Case Western Reserve. He took the bar exam, but there is no record of
him passing it.

- Mandel was elected to the Ohio House in 2006, took office in 2007, and ran for Ohio Treasurer in 2009.

- During his term in the Ohio House of Representatives, Mandel voted with his Republican colleagues 95%
of the time. As I've written before, Mandel's legislative experience is
weak, and barely in evidence. Republican Josh Mandel was the primary
sponsor of only 4 bills while he served in the Ohio House of Representatives. In the 128th General Assembly, Mandel and Jay Goyal sponsored HB 123 (there are no recorded votes on HB 123) and HB 171 (HB 171
never came up for a vote). Both HB 123 and HB 171 were assigned to a
committee, but nothing else happened to his legislation.

....Cockfighting is now a fourth-degree
misdemeanor in Ohio. Penalty: No more than 30 days in jail, a fine no
greater than $250. In contrast, House Bill 108 would make cockfighting a
fifth-degree felony. Penalty: Up to 12 months in jail, a fine of up to
$2,500. Second offenses would draw steeper penalties.....

That is amazing. Now we know there are two Republicans who are for animal cruelty.
(1.) The Republican Party has Romney who put his dog in a kennel and then tied the kennel to the top of his car.
(2.) The Ohio Republican Party has Josh Mandel who voted against making cockfighting a felony.

- Mandel wants us to count the minutes that he has spent as Ohio
Treasurer as his experience???? Are you kidding me? Josh Mandel
started his campaign for his next office just 80+ days after being sworn
in as Treasurer. He has been absent from office while he has visited
other states, all 88 counties in Ohio, and a country (the Bahamas) to
collect campaign cash.

On the other hand, according to Govtrack, Sen. Sherrod Brown has sponsored many pieces of legislation while he has been in the U.S. Senate. You can see all 44 pages of Sen. Sherrod Brown's sponsored legislation at this link.

Josh Mandel's letter to the editor is pure fiction. Don't be fooled.
Mandel is a puppet of the right wing that will take away women's rights,
and support tax cuts for the rich. We cannot forget that Mandel was for SB 5. We need to keep Sherrod Brown in the Senate. Sherrod Brown has demonstrated his hard work for every group in Ohio and our veterans.

For those that know Josh Mandel, his claim of "...life's school of hard knocks..."
is laughable and ridiculous. We thank him for his service as a Marine,
but his accomplishments as an elected public official have been
miniscule and overdone.

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Update: My 91 year old mother-in-law said the following about Josh Mandel's claim to "blue collar roots"----> "He is full of ____!"